I am a Toronto-based broadcaster, technology enthusiast, and secret agent. When I’m not busy making telemagic for Canada’s largest private broadcaster, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook or taking down a rogue nation with nothing more than my wits, a stick of Beemans chewing gum, and my iPhone.

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It still amazes me that I work for CTV Toronto. When I was a kid I wanted to be a CFTO news reporter. Now I am. The fact I work out of 299 Queen Street West is another career dream come true.

Sports Reporter Lance Brown

is like a big brother. A much, older, less attractive big brother. Which is why we razz each other on-air. People think we hate each other but I’ve only actually met the guy once and he smelled very nice.

I'm Bad, I'm Nation Wide

I’m also the guy in airport departure lounges and your seatback screen. Once, a fellow passenger had no idea the guy sitting beside him was the one he was watching on TV.

The Euro, Pound, and Yen

CTV and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind agree: if there’s a number on-screen, we read it. Because I only have 90 seconds, I’ve reduced the number of numbers in favour of telling better stories.

12 year old child prodigy

Olivia Hainsworth plays an

original 1904 upright

that bears her family name

Who chooses the guests who appear on your shows?

That depends on the show. The Close is a collaboration between the show producer, the segment producer (often called a “chase” producer because it’s their job to chase-down guests) and me. Usually it starts with a story, and we search for a guest who can best provide insight.

Guests of Market Call are booked, often weeks in advance or based on their availability in Toronto, by the show producer.

What smartphone should I buy?

For me the answer is simple: iPhone. But my first question aways is: what do your friends and family have? Getting the same device as the people in your life gives you a built-in tech support department. Do a lot of messaging? Consider a BlackBerry. Want to play games? iPhone. Like to tinker with your toys? Android all the way.

Why didn’t the Market Call guest take my question?

Chances are it’s because the guest didn’t feel qualified to answer it. Calls, emails and tweets are screened before and during the show to ensure the guest is knowledgeable about the company. If your question was turned-down, it was solely for this reason. Guests are instructed to give the thumbs-down on companies they no longer cover, or don’t feel qualified to provide reasonable commentary. The producer gets in the guest’s earpiece during commercial breaks and the guest responds by pointing a thumbs-up or down into the camera to the company name. If you got the thumbs-up but you didn’t make it on-air, it’s because we simply ran out of time.

Are you related to hockey goalie George Hainsworth?

Apparently, yes. But no one in my family seems to be able to tell me exactly how. In 1930 George set an NHL record that still stands. During the playoffs for the Canadiens, he went 270 minutes and 8 seconds without allowing a single goal. He’d be embarassed by me: the last time I saw a puck was in a men’s room urinal.

I’m using a Bloomberg terminal. The $10k/month service provides me with a remarkable wealth of information. The analyst recommendations are compiled by Bloomberg from their reports and are frequently updated shortly after earnings reports. Because the figures are the consensus, you’ll sometimes hear me instead quote “the top ranked analysts” — those Bloomberg has tracked for the accuracy of their 12 month target prices. That’s because there may be target prices that haven’t been updated in months — or a year — and I don’t think including those figures is an accurate reflection of Bay and/or Wall Street opinion.

I’m not a technical analyst, but you will hear me quote several pertinent figures[/ico_photo] including 50 and 200 Day Moving Averages to gauge support and resistance levels, Moving Average Convergence-Divergence (MACD) to indicate momentum and trends, and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) that tells us if a stock is “overbought” (read: the herd is moving en-masse to buy) or “oversold” (read: the herd is stampeding to the exits).

Do you write your own stories?

Formal newscasts on BNN are put together by a talented team of writers. Introductions to guests are either ad-libbed or written by a segment producer. And the wittiest segments are researched by me and ad-libbed.

All the stories I present on CTV News are researched and written by me.

Is your education in journalism or finance?

I graduated with honours from the Humber College radio broadcasting program. My understanding of finance and the stock markets comes from more than 20 years of reading, research, and interviewing some of the world’s biggest financial gurus.

Are your suits bespoke?

My tailor is Maxwell’s Clothiers of Hong Kong. Twice a year Mr. K. Maxwell’s son Andy comes into town with a legion of staff, rents a hall at the Sheraton, and fills it with fabric swatches and men scurrying about with plastic measuring tapes wrapped around their necks.

Should I get a screen protector for my iOS device?

iOS screens are covered with what Apple calls an “oleophobic” coating. It’s basically afraid of fingerprints. While it doesn’t prevent smudges, it greatly reduces them. If you cover your screen with a protector, it may be more scratch-resistant, but it’s less smudge resistant. Plus, no matter how good a protector you get, it still degrades the view of the actual screen. That’s why I don’t use one. Chances are slim your iPad screen is going to come in contact with your car keys, and you’ve probably got a case for it. The only reason to get a screen protector is if you’re the type of person who needs the piece of mind that comes with insurance.

Hey! Aren’t you that Cash Cab guy?

Actually, no. That’s Adam Rowe. But I’ll give you $20 if you can tell me the former parent company of Nortel Networks.

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This was one of my favourite reasons to come to work!

App Central was the world’s first network television show dedicated to mobile technology.

App Central aired to 1.1M Canadians each week on CTV, CTV two, BNN, and CP24 and was syndicated across Europe, Asia and Australia. We actually got fan mail from half way around the world.

Co-created by reporter Kris Abel, and co-hosted by Amber MacArthur, I was one of the high tech Amigos talking apps, gadgets and their implications on society.

So why did it come to an end? Money, basically. The show wasn’t making BNN enough cash to warrant the cost of production.